New DVDs with local ties

Lehigh County native Carson Kressley is one of the celebrities interviewed… (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO )

January 30, 2013|By Amy Longsdorf, Special to The Morning Call

In the new documentary "Out In The Open" (Breaking Glass, 2012, unrated, $22), Lehigh County native Carson Kressley reveals that he was 30 years old and only days away from appearing on the reality TV program "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy" when he finally came out to his folks.

Kressley mentions Allentown by name during the movie, which includes interviews with a handful of other out celebrities, politicians and everyday folks. The goal, the filmmakers have said, is to "empower LGBT people, especially youths who suffer from bullying."

The film says its goal is to empower "LGBT people, especially youths who suffer from bullying and ostracism." The interviews are interesting, particularly Kressley's, which touches on his experiences being called names in middle school.

"Out In the Open" isn't the only new DVD with local ties. In "Girls, Guns and Gambling" (Universal, 2013, unrated, $20), Bethlehem's Anthony Azizi is part of a big ensemble cast.

In the Southwest-shot adventure, Christian Slater stars as an Elvis impersonator who is blamed for the theft of an Apache war mask worth a million dollars. He soon finds himself entangled with a cowboy (Jeff Fahey), a rancher (Powers Boothe), two crooked sheriffs (Dane Cook, Sam Trammell), a bombshell assassin (Helena Mattsson) and a handful of other Elvis impersonators (Chris Kattan, Gary Oldman).

Also on Slater's trail is a henchman (Azizi) for the Indian chief who originally owned the mask. Azizi has a small part but gets to beat up Slater and deliver one of the screenplay's funniest lines.

Produced by Bucks County resident Stephen Susco (whose mother Albertina Lombardi works at an Allentown law firm), "The Possession" (Lionsgate, 2012, PG-13, $30) resembles every other "The Exorcist" knock-off.

But Danish director Ole Bornedal gets strong performances from his cast and conjures up so many stunning images that you probably won't mind the overly familiar set-up.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick star as the just-divorced parents of a young girl (Natasha Calis) who becomes possessed by a dibbuk, or a displaced spirit that is trapped within a mysterious box. The early scenes are particularly creepy, especially those involving moths that infest Morgan's home.

Sundance Success: Among the actors causing big buzz at Sundance this year were Zionsville's Dane DeHaan and Allentown's Amanda Seyfried. Their new movies "Kill Your Darlings" and "Lovelace," respectively, picked up distributions and some nifty reviews after premiering at the bash.

Also landing sweet distribution deals: "The Way Way Back," a Steve Carell comedy featuring costumes by Bangor resident Ann Roth, and "We Are What We Are," a cannibal thriller written and directed by Pottstown's Jim Mickle. The film stars Kelly McGillis, who used to live in Reading.